The present invention relates to a voice recording/reproducing apparatus and a control method therefor, and more particularly to a voice recording/reproducing apparatus having a communication function and a control method therefor.
In recent years, a portable voice recording/reproducing apparatus has been put into practical use, the apparatus being an apparatus of a type having a communication function and structured to convert a voice signal into digital data. Then, digital data is stored in a flush memory which is a reloadable storage medium. Voice data stored in the flush memory is converted into analog data so that reproduction of voice data is permitted.
The portable voice recording/reproducing apparatus of the foregoing type, and more particularly a voice recording/reproducing apparatus which is operated by a battery sometimes encounters malfunction or shortening of the lifetime of the battery. The foregoing problems are caused from an unintentional operation of the switch in a communication mode or excessively long waiting (non-communication state) during the communication mode.
When the communication is established between, for example, a personal computer (PC) and the voice recording/reproducing apparatus, the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is usually brought to a slave state. If a command waiting state is continued for a long time such that the power consumption of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is not reduced, there is apprehension that communication cannot be established simultaneously with start of the communication (a command transmitted from the PC is received) owing to reduction in the voltage of the battery.
When the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is brought to the communication mode in a state where input of each operation switch is permitted and any one of the operation switch is depressed during the communication, a sequence operation which does not concern the communication is undesirably started. In the foregoing case, there is apprehension that the communication is interrupted.
When the communication mode of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is given priority as compared with other sequence operations, the recording operation or the reproducing operation is interrupted. Therefore, an operator feels a sense of disharmony. What is worse, the operability of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus deteriorates excessively.
If a battery of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus arranged to be operated with the battery is unintentionally separated (removed), normal reproduction of recorded voice data is usually inhibited.
Therefore, an invention has been disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-91540, in which the recording sequence which is being executed is quickly completed if the battery cover is opened.
That is, the invention disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 10-91540 has a structure that at least voice data and administration information are written on a semiconductor memory before the battery is removed and the control of the sequence is brought to out of control. Thus, reproduction of recorded voice data can be performed.
If the battery of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus of a type having the communication function is unintentionally separated (removed) during loading of voice data on a storage medium of a PC, normal reproduction of transmitted voice data is inhibited similar to the foregoing problem occurring during the recording operation.
Therefore, all of voice data items transmitted before the interruption of the communication must be abandoned in a usual case after the separation of the battery has been recovered. Hence it follows that the operability deteriorates and the operator is subjected to a great stress and feels uneasy.
An object of the present invention is to provide a voice recording/reproducing apparatus arranged to interrupt the communication mode under certain conditions to put the voice recording/reproducing apparatus into a standby mode in which power consumption is reduced to facilitate handling and prevent an operation mistake and to normally reproduce voice data stored before interruption of the communication mode and a control method therefor.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voice recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:
storage means incorporating a voice-data region and an index-information region;
communication means for establishing the communication with an external communication apparatus; and
control means for controlling writing of voice data converted into digital signals and index information concerning voice data on the voice-data region and the index-information region of the storage means and reading of voice data stored in the voice-data region in accordance with index information concerning voice data stored in the index-information region of the storage means and interrupting a communication mode under a predetermined condition of a communication operation concerning a process for transmitting voice data stored in the voice-data region of the storage means to an external communication apparatus during the communication mode in which the communication means is caused to establish communication with the external communication apparatus so that a power source of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is limited to small power consumption to put the voice recording/reproducing apparatus into a standby mode.
To achieve another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a voice recording/reproducing apparatus incorporating storage means having a voice-data region and an index-information region; and communication means for establishing communication with an external communication apparatus, the method of controlling a voice recording/reproducing apparatus comprising the steps of:
controlling writing of voice data converted into a digital signal and index information concerning voice data on the voice-data region and the index-information region of the storage means;
controlling reading of voice data stored in the voice-data region of the storage means in accordance with index information concerning voice data stored in the index-information region of the storage means; and
interrupting a communication mode under a predetermined condition of a communication operation concerning a process for transmitting voice data stored in the voice-data region of the storage means to the external communication apparatus during the communication mode in which the communication means is caused to establish communication with the external communication apparatus so that a power source of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is limited to small power consumption to put the voice recording/reproducing apparatus into a standby mode.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a voice recording/reproducing apparatus comprising:
an operation portion incorporating a plurality of switches for bringing the voice recording/reproducing apparatus to a predetermined operation state including a voice recording/reproducing mode;
a storage portion incorporating a voice-data region and an index-information region;
a communication portion for establishing communication with an external communication apparatus;
a first control unit arranged to correspond to the voice recording/reproducing mode realized by the operation portion so as to control writing of voice data converted into digital signals and index information concerning voice data on the voice-data region and the index-information region of the storage means and reading of voice data stored in the voice-data region in accordance with index information concerning voice data stored in the index-information region of the storage means;
a determining portion for determining whether or not a communication operation concerning a process for transmitting voice data stored in the voice-data region of the storage portion to the external communication apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition during the communication mode in which the communication portion establishes communication with the external communication apparatus; and
a second control unit for interrupting the communication mode when the determining portion has determined that the communication operation satisfies the predetermined condition so as to limit a power source of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus to small power consumption to put the voice recording/reproducing apparatus into a standby mode.
To achieve the foregoing object, according to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of controlling a voice recording/reproducing apparatus incorporating an operation portion having a plurality of switches for realizing a predetermined operation state including a voice recording/reproducing mode, a storage portion incorporating a voice-data region and an index-information region and a communication portion for establishing communication with an external communication apparatus, the method of controlling a voice recording/reproducing apparatus comprising the steps of:
corresponding to the voice recording/reproducing mode realized by the operation portion so as to control writing of voice data converted into digital signals and index information concerning voice data on the voice-data region and the index-information region of the storage means and control reading of voice data stored in the voice-data region in accordance with index information concerning voice data stored in the index-information region of the storage means;
determining whether or not a communication operation concerning a process for transmitting voice data stored in the voice-data region of the storage portion to the external communication apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition during the communication mode in which the communication portion establishes communication with the external communication apparatus; and
interrupting the communication mode when a determination has been made that the communication operation satisfies the predetermined condition so as to limit a power source of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus to small power consumption to put the voice recording/reproducing apparatus into a standby mode.
Note that the predetermined condition includes a state where a predetermined period of time has elapsed without any communication operation in a communication mode.
The predetermined condition includes a state where a cover of a battery accommodating portion for accommodating a battery which is the power source of the voice recording/reproducing apparatus is opened.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.